Whether you’re editing photos or “working from home”, getting work done at a coffee shop can come in handy. I myself have been hooked on working in coffee shops for the past couple years. Sippin espresso, writing blog posts, editing a family photoshoot, sending emails to my list or posting images to Instagram. You name it. A coffee shop is my preferred workplace.
And it doesn’t even have to be a coffee shop per-say. Because of COVID shutting down two of my favorite go-to coffee shops, I find myself at a local Richmond grocery store. They’ve got plenty of seating/space, wall outlets, coffee and even breakfast/dinner/snacks if needed.
That’s actually where I am now, writing away on this blog post.
With that, I wanted to touch base on a few things I consider to be good etiquette while working at a coffee shop.
1) Plenty Of Seating & Outlets
Find a spot with plenty of seating. Whether it’s a bunch of booths, tables and/or wall seating. That cute little coffee shop with 2 tables probably won’t appreciate you sitting there for multiple hours working. Aim for the smaller tables or wall seating so the bigger groups can take the bigger tables.
Also I like to look for spaces with a lot of power outlets. Not only does that help me charge up when necessary, but it also tells me, the shop is cool with people sitting down and hanging out for a while.
2) Be Courteous & Be Aware
I tend to watch the crowd when I think about it or need a rest from staring at my computer. Seeing people coming in, getting coffee then looking for places to seat. Are they able to find tables? Do they leave disappointed that they couldn’t find a seat to relax for a minute?
3) Buy Something (Or multiple things)
I always always always at least buy a coffee to start off with. Maybe a water and food if I’m hungry. Or I’ll spread that out over the time I’m there. Sometimes if I have my share of caffeine, I’ll go back up and get a caffeine-free tea.
4) Watch How Much Space You Take Up
Watch where you put your backpack. Is it on the floor near you or maybe in a chair beside you? Is that preventing someone from possible sitting there? Some may ask you to move it if they need a seat, others might just continue on.
Make sure you only take up one of the plugs in the outlet if you can help it., My Macbook Pro laptop charger can take up two outlet spots if I use the top one. So I’ll always be sure to take the bottom one if I can. If I need to charge my phone, I’ll try to do it from my laptop. Unless they’re plenty of outlets.
You really just want to be mindful of the fact that by you taking up a table and working you could be preventing other customers from sitting down and enjoying their coffee.
Above all, just be courteous!
Additional Tips
Invest in a nice set of noise canceling headphones. I do like a little bit of noise and things going on, that’s part of the charm of working in coffee shops. But sometimes it can be overbearing.
Or maybe the shop has a live band early on Sundays that always seems to start when you’re deep in work and don’t want to move. Or that place has the perfect amount of outlets & table space with nothing else in the neighborhood that you can walk to, so you keep going.
Stuff like that is exactly why I invested in a pair of Sony noise canceling headphones (Amazon link). I use the Sony WH1000XM3. They came out a few years ago, and a newer model recently came out so these can be found at a pretty good price.
Slow Wifi?
What if the shops WiFi is less than desirable? I will often use my phones mobile hotspot but if that’s something you don’t have you can also look into buying a mobile hotspot. I don’t have one myself, but I’ve been thinking about. I’ll update this post with the one I get, so you can check it out as well.
Jot Down Your Thoughts
Having pen and paper always helps. I keep a bunch of my favorite pens and a simple spiral notebook in my work backpack at all times. A lot of times I also like keeping a small journal on hand to write down any ideas when they pop up.
I love Zebra Pens (Amazon link). I used to hunt these down at CVS or Walgreens, buy them in pairs, but after losing or constantly forgetting them. I decided to purchase their multipack. BEST DECISION EVER, regarding writing utensils. I always seem to have one where I need it.
I also try to keep a pocket sized Moleskine journals (Amazon link) on me so I can write ideas down when they come to mind. I bought this pack of two a while back. It took me a while to fill it up, but I’m finally on to the second one. These things are pretty sweet, really high quality and easy to write in. Plus they fit in your pocket!
Wrapping Up
Hope all this helped. Good luck on finding your perfect work space.
My Peak Design Tripod Review – About Time This Happened
Leave a Reply